Is it deadly or is it beautiful?

Is it intriguing because it’s bad for you? Because it’s forbidden?

My son was fascinated by my friend’s cigarettes. Partly because he knows I don’t approve, partly because where we live, we practically don’t know anyone who smokes!

From a different perspective, you might not know what it is.

He had my new macro lens and was having a ball getting a different perspective on everyday objects. He got our eyeballs, flowers, bugs, matches and cigarettes. I have to admit, he did a great job and I was happy that he was having fun doing it.

If it’s so bad for you, why do you do it?

In the shops in Europe, they warnings on cigarette packages are larger and more graphic than in the US. I heard that in some other European countries, I think it was Denmark, they even have photos of smoker’s lungs and gross (but convincing) stuff like that. Hey, whatever works.

But does prohibition work?

In many ways, as we well know from history, forbidding something is going to make a certain crowd just want it more.The marijuana debate (well, there’s not much of a debate anymore … ) in Holland is extremely interesting. You know who smokes joints in Holland? The tourists! The locals are usually quite prude about it and many have never smoked it. In fact, they’re trying to enact laws that you have to show local ID to be able to buy it, which is actually pretty funny because if that happens, not much is going to get sold!

But the cigarette and the 11-year old and the macro lens was both deadly and beautiful.